This document outlines Cook County's Citizen Participation Plan for the 2012 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. It establishes guidelines for citizen participation in planning, funding, and assessing CDBG projects. Municipalities must hold at least two public hearings to gather community input when developing their CDBG applications. Cook County also holds regional hearings to obtain resident needs and present funding plans. Both municipalities and Cook County must make documentation available for public comments and respond to complaints within 15 days.

1. COOK COUNTY
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK
GRANT PROGRAM
(CDBG)
Program Year 2012
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN
Toni Preckwinkle, President
Cook County Board of Commissioners
Herman Brewer, Bureau Chief
Prepared by the Cook County Bureau of Community Development
December, 2011

2. COOK COUNTY
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM
2012
CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PLAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. OPERATING PRINCIPLES OF THE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PROCESS . . 1
II. FRAMEWORK FOR THE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PROCESS . . . . . . . . . . . 1
III. CDBG FUNDING APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
IV. PROGRAM AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
V. REQUESTS FOR PROJECT CHANGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
VI. COOK COUNTY RESPONSIBILITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5

3. I. OPERATING PRINCIPLES OF THE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PROCESS
A. Under the provisions of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended
in 1990, Cook County is eligible to receive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)
funds if certain statutory requirements are met. Among these requirements is a provision
requiring a County to have a combined population in excess of 200,000 persons
excluding communities of 50,000 persons or more.
B. The Citizen Participation Plan for the Cook County Community Development Block Grant
Program recognizes the role of suburban municipalities in the urban county qualifications
process. It is appropriate that suburban municipalities play an important role in the Cook
County Community Development Block Grant Citizen Participation Process.
II. FRAMEWORK FOR THE CITIZEN PARTICIPATION PROCESS
A. Cook County’s Citizen Participation Plan provides a framework for public participation.
B. A municipality electing to apply for Community Development Block Grant funds must provide
citizens with an adequate opportunity to participate in an advisory role in planning,
implementing, and assessing that municipality's Community Development Block Grant
projects. A participation process shall:
1. Be conducted in an open manner, with freedom of access for all interested parties;
2. Involve low and moderate-income households, civic organizations, the elderly, the
disabled, and residents of neighborhoods in which Community Development funded
activities are proposed or on-going;
3. Provide information in an adequate and timely manner to these citizens regarding
access to local meetings and records related to the subrecipient's proposed use of
CDBG funds; and be continual throughout the Community Development process,
including the planning, application and implementation stages.
4. Allow for technical assistance to representatives of low and moderate income people
who ask for such assistance when forming proposals for CDBG activities. The
municipalities shall determine the type and level of technical assistance.
C. Public hearings and meetings, neighborhood and community meetings, and town meetings
are the most effective methods of generating citizen participation. In particular, public
hearings allow municipalities to gather citizens' views, address proposals for funding, and
respond to inquiries at all stages of the program, including the assessment of needs, proposed
grant uses, and program performance reviews.
Therefore, each municipality applying for Community Development Block Grant funds
must develop its application through a series of community and neighborhood
meetings. At least one (1) formal public hearing is required on a community-wide basis
seeking input from residents on community needs. At least one (1) other public
hearing is then required to present the municipality’s Community Development Plan
and its proposed CDBG application to local residents. Therefore, it is required that
municipalities conduct at least two public hearings in compliance with the Citizen
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4. Participation Process as outlined in the CDBG Procedures and Operations Guide.
D. Adequate notice of the hearings is required (see Section III. B). All meetings must be held at
times and locations convenient to people actually or potentially affected by the program, with
accommodations for the disabled. In the event that a significant number of non-English
speaking residents can be expected to participate in a public hearing, the municipality must
identify how the needs of non-English speaking residents will be met.
E. Municipalities are required to make timely written responses, within 15 working days if
feasible, to address written complaints and grievances from citizens.
III. CDBG FUNDING APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS
A. The Cook County Community Development Block Grant Program’s fiscal year begins October
1st. Applications for Program Year 2012 Community Development funds requested by
municipal and non-municipal applicants must be submitted to the Cook County Bureau of
Community Development no later than February 17, 2012.
B. Notification to the Public:
1. The public must be notified as to the total amount of Community Development Block
Grant funds available through the Cook County Community Development Block Grant
Program, the project categories for which the applications may be submitted, and the
stated objectives of the Cook County program.
2. The general public shall be notified by the governing body of each municipality that
conducts the public meeting(s) and public hearing(s) during the development of the
Community Development Block Grant application.
3. The public shall be notified of each formal and informal hearing at least ten (10)
days prior to the date of each hearing. The public notice shall be made through
publication in the non-legal section of the community newspaper(s), posting of notices
in public places such as municipal buildings and schools, and mailings to civic
organizations and neighborhood groups.
4. During the public hearings, the municipality must provide its citizens with a reasonable
opportunity to comment on the citizen participation plan and on any substantial changes
to the citizen participation plan. Substantial changes include any change in type,
location or scope of the original plan that will increase the awarded amount by
more than 50%. However, a substantial change will not be triggered in the event
of transfers and/or amendments among existing Subrecipient projects. All
substantial changes require a formal public hearing pursuant to III C.
C. Preparation of the Application:
1. Any non-municipal entity (i.e., non-profits requesting capital improvements/ facilities)
must apply through the municipality in which it proposes to undertake an eligible activity.
2. The governing body of each municipality shall prepare the following:
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5. a. Identification of basic community development and housing needs and priorities
in each designated neighborhood and/or commercial development area;
b. Completion of the Community Development Plan; and,
c. The annual community development program which shall include requests for
Community Development Block Grant funds to address those needs.
3. The municipality will be responsible for insuring that the standards of citizen participation
set forth in this plan, particularly regarding the involvement of low and moderate income
households, civic organizations, the elderly, the disabled, and residents of the
neighborhoods in which Community Development funded activities are proposed or
ongoing, are adhered to during the development of the application.
D. Availability of Subrecipient Applications for Public Inspection:
1. During the preparation of the application, any neighborhood group, civic organization,
or individual shall have the opportunity to review, consistent with the appropriate State
and local laws regarding personal privacy and obligations of confidentiality, all program
documents and records during the development of the application.
2. Prior to submission of the applications for Community Development Block Grant funding,
the governing body of each applicant's municipality shall make available for public
inspection a copy of the final application that will be submitted to Cook County.
Availability of the application at the required formal public hearing should be announced
to those in attendance.
3. Applicants must maintain a copy of the proposed application in their permanent CDBG
files as part of the public record. Any organization or individual wishing to file an
objection to the application must do so by March 2, 2012 by notifying the municipality
and Cook County, in writing, of specific objections. The municipality must respond to
any complaint within fifteen (15) days to both Cook County and the individual or
organization making the complaint. Those organizations or individuals with objections
must direct them in writing to the municipality and Cook County at the following address:
Bureau of Economic Development
69 West Washington Street, Suite 2900
Chicago, IL. 60602-3007.
ATTN: CDBG Grant Department
IV. PROGRAM AND PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT
A. Subrecipients awarded CDBG funds must submit Quarterly Performance Reports to Cook
County reflecting all CDBG actions. In addition, the final performance report must be
submitted between October 1 and September 30 of the preceding program year by no later
than the first week in October.
B. The municipality shall make available to the public a copy of its annual Subrecipient
Performance Report. The report is a required CDBG document and is part of the public
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6. record.
C. The municipality shall conduct a performance hearing for each program year of the
Community Development Block Grant Program or until all open projects are completed.
The performance hearings shall be scheduled during the month of November. The
performance hearings shall include discussion of the status of each project not completed,
estimated completion dates for these projects, and the financial status of these open projects.
The municipality is responsible for submitting a certified copy of the public notice as well as
minutes of this performance hearing to Cook County by December 31, 2012.
V. REQUESTS FOR PROJECT CHANGE
The County will review a preliminary request for eligibility, feasibility, and principal benefit. The
County will then notify the subrecipient if the request for a project change is acceptable. Upon
positive notification by the County, the subrecipient then must submit a formal request for a project
change.
A. The municipality will be responsible for insuring that citizens have had an opportunity to
comment on the proposed changes.
B. A certified copy of the public notice is required indicating at least a ten (10) day comment
period, and shall be made through publication in the non-legal section of community
newspaper(s), posting of notices in public places, (such as municipal buildings and schools),
and mailings to civic organizations and neighborhood groups.
C. If the information is to change the use of CDBG funds from one eligible activity to another, the
subrecipient must make the request available for a 30-day public comment period before final
approval.
VI. COOK COUNTY RESPONSIBILITIES
A. Prior to the submission to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
for its annual grant, Cook County must:
1. Develop a proposed statement of community development objectives Cook County
proposes to pursue; and
2. Develop a list of community development activities that Cook County proposes to carry
out with anticipated CDBG funds.
B. Cook County has a Community Development Advisory Council, (CDAC) which is appointed
by the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners with the consent of the Board
of Commissioners. The CDAC represents all areas of the County with the majority of the
members representing low- and moderate-income interests. The representatives are mayors,
private sector individuals, and non-profit representatives.
C. Cook County with the Community Development Advisory Council, must meet the following
citizen participation requirements prior to submission to HUD:
1. Furnish citizens with information concerning the amount of CDBG funds expected to be
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7. available (including the annual grant and program income) for community development
and housing activities, and the range of activities that may be undertaken with those
funds.
2. Hold three (3) regional public hearings which will provide information and requirements
for Community Development funds and also obtain the views of citizens on Cook
County's housing and community development needs.
3. Hold one public hearing at which the non-municipal subrecipients must present their
proposals for Community Development funding to the public and the Community
Development Advisory Council.
4. Hold one public hearing to present the recommended projects selected for funding to
the public and the Community Development Advisory Council.
5. Request final recommendations for funding from the Cook County Community
Development Advisory Council.
6. Submit recommendations to the Cook County Board of Commissioners for approval.
Approval must be given before results are submitted to the Department of Housing and
Urban Development.
7. Cook County will publish community-wide its proposed statement of community
development objectives and projected use of funds to afford affected citizens an
opportunity to examine the statement's contents and to provide comments on the
proposed statement.
D. Once Cook County has completed the citizen participation requirements it must consider any
such comments and views received and if appropriate, modify the proposed statement. A final
statement will be prepared stating the community development objectives and projected use
of funds. Cook County will make the final statement available to the public. The Final Annual
Action Plan must be submitted to HUD each year by mid-August. The public is invited to
inspect objectives and use of funds under the Plan by contacting the Director of the Bureau
of Economic Development, 69 West Washington Street, Suite 2900, Chicago, IL. 60602-
3007.
E. Cook County will compile the performance reports of all subrecipients and assemble one
complete Draft Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report. This report will be
available for public viewing and comment . Contact the Cook County Bureau of Economic
Development, 69 West Washington Street, Suite 2900, Chicago, IL. 60602-3007 to request
inspection of performance reports.
F. Cook County will hold a Performance Hearing during the month of December to review
progress and the performance of program-wide activities. At this Performance Hearing, non-
municipal subrecipients must present an analysis of the status of each project not completed,
estimated completion dates for these projects, and the financial status of these open projects.
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